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From darkness to Light

CONNIE: He came under cloak of darkness, and he found the Light of the World. Are you looking for light in all the right places? Join us as we look at Nicodemus's greatest discovery. Giving God's trumpet a Certain Sound for more than 70 years, this is the Voice of Prophecy.

CONNIE: Hello, I'm Connie Jeffery,

LONNIE: and I'm Lonnie Melashenko.

CONNIE: Lonnie today we are talking about darkness and light, and I wondered if you and your little boy ever were afraid of the dark.

LONNIE: Ooooo! Yes I had a bunch of cousins who told me all the wrong kinds of stories. I'll never forget seeing the "Christmas Carol" with Scrooge. I didn't sleep for nights; my mother couldn't get me to sleep, afraid of the dark, and I was for years even into my teenage years.

CONNIE: Well, did you have to put on a night-light or something.

LONNIE: I wish we had them in those days. I literally would be awaking panicked. Sometimes I cried myself to sleep because I was so afraid of the dark.

CONNIE: Well you know the darkest place I think I've ever been, is in a cave in Virginia; We used to go spelunking in Pathfinders, and if you get down in those deep dark caves and turn off all the lights, you are really in the dark.

LONNIE: You can feel the dark. Well, Connie, there's a young lady whom I consider a close friend, whom many people might think lives in darkness. Her name is Stephanie Dawn, and she's been blind since birth, but do you know what--she's learned to live in the light since learning to trust more deeply in God.

CONNIE: She was in our studios here recently, wasn't she?

LONNIE: Yes, she and her family stopped by the office, and we brought her down here and she shared her story.

LONNIE: Stephanie Dawn, welcome to the Voice of Prophecy Broadcast.

STEPHANIE: Its good to be here. Thank you.

LONNIE: I'm tickled that you happened to be coming by, and you're in the broadcast studio with me right now.

STEPHANIE: Well I've really enjoyed it so far. It's great!

LONNIE: Stephanie you've been singing ever since you were one year old.

STEPHANIE: Yeah, in fact the first person I ever remember listening to when I was a small child, and the person that I listen to the most was Del Delker.

LONNIE: And that first cognizant factor knowing about Del, had a profound impact on your life, cause you've been through quite a journey.

STEPHANIE: Yes, yeah.

LONNIE: Our listeners wouldn't be able to know this, but I will tell them. You are blind, and you were born blind, but also some of those challenges during those early young years of life. Tell us a little about those times.

STEPHANIE: Well I was diagnosed with Osteoporosis when I was ten, and I went through a period of struggle with that emotionally, and in the end learning who to give all my fears to God, all of my frustrations of Osteoporosis too. And When I finally learned to do that I was at peace with it, and continue to be at peace with it. But also ever since I was very young child, I've struggled with depression. I've struggled with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD.

LONNIE: That's a pretty serious thing too isn't it.

STEPHANIE: Yeah, depending on what level you're at. Mine is very serious. I had hours of rituals that caused me to fall very far behind in school. I was constantly bombarded by frightening, awful, intrusive thoughts. Contrary thoughts to what I believed or what I would do. I often had nightmares, I often heard frightening things in my head or had frightening images.

LONNIE: So Stephanie you weren't only in physical darkness because of your blindness, you were really in a dark tunnel spiritually too.

STEPHANIE: I was, because my OCD really affected me spiritually. My picture of God was very distorted. I feared God very much, because I saw this tyrant, and I honestly believed that I had to do all of these exact rituals if my salvation was to be reached. And it took many years for me to begin to really understand what was really important when it came to serving God.

LONNIE: And then miraculously you came face to face with Jesus Christ, and what happened?

STEPHANIE: A few years ago, Pastor Lee Venden, Morris Venden's son, spoke at our church camp meeting in Minnesota. I was not able to attend the camp meeting, but my grandmother had acquired the tapes from that week, from my aunt, and I was at her house and she played them for me. And the Lord used His words to completely change my life and turn on the lights, just many, many lights. Because He talked about a Jesus I had never pictured before. I had known intellectually for years that Jesus loved me, cause I heard it over, and over, and over as a child. I grew up an Adventist, but it was at this point that I knew it in my heart. It suddenly hit me. I knew how much Jesus loved me, and I couldn't believe it. He talked about a Jesus who not only desires to be a best friend to each one of us, that we can talk to anywhere, about anything, any time, but a Jesus who is also in need of our friendship. A Jesus who understands every emotion that we've been through, because He's been there.

LONNIE: How has that affected your life since, because you've been on the road the last couple of years with a fulltime music ministry, and you've had some incredible, astounding opportunities that are, well there rather amazing as to some of the circles that you've been able to share your testimony.

STEPHANIE: Yeah, a few years ago I wouldn't have given my testimony, but now I feel called to. Because this is a subject that isn't talked about as much, that many people are experiencing the same things, and don't feel free to talk about it with anybody. And I guess my goal in life is to say, "Hey we all struggle with different things in our lives" But I have learned, and I want to show you the one who can help us overcome those. And He has been there for me so much in just that, helping me to understand, that no matter how many rituals I had, no matter how many Bible scriptures I memorized, no matter how many Bible stories I knew, they meant nothing if I didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus was on this particular principle when He was talking to Nicodemos, a statement in which He tells Nicodemos unless you are born of water and of spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven, which I believe is in John 3:5-6, I just found out. But when we hear this statement we instantly think, O Jesus means if were not born again we won't enter heaven, which is true. Jesus did mean that, but another meaning that Jesus had, is one that is often overlooked, and it's the one that says, unless you are born again, you will not understand or have the desire for spiritual things. When the Holy Spirit is not in anything you do, whether you're reading the Bible till your blue in the face, or praying for hours on end. If the Holy Spirit's not in it, it's always going to be a dead end road.

LONNIE: Well you have been absolutely amazing audiences everywhere you go Stephanie, from prisons, to high schools, and colleges. You were with me at several university campuses, standing ovations because of your testimony. You even got to sing back at the Kennedy Center of Performing Arts, back in Washington D.C. twice, right?

STEPHANIE: Yes, two times. I won a competition through an organization called Very Special Arts, which works with the disabled, and the arts.
LONNIE: And the Kennedy family was there on one occasion.

STEPHANIE: In Washington D.C. it was a banquet actually honoring Jean Kennedy Smith, the founder of Very Special Arts.

LONNIE: And what amazing opportunities you've had ever since then.

STEPHANIE: Yes, it's a very humbling experience.

LONNIE: To come out of darkness, and discover something different.

STEPHANIE: Yes and there's so many people though, who still are in that darkness. Whether they've struggled with the same things that I struggled with, or other things. I guess my goal is to show them who they can turn to. That He is more than a God who made the universe, and a powerful king, and a creator, but a friend, a personal friend who understands us inside and out more than we'll ever know ourselves.

LONNIE: Stephanie, thanks for being with us on the broadcast today. And by the way friend if you ever hear that she is singing in your area go to the concert if you have to drive 500 miles. God bless you Stephanie.

STEPHANIE: Thank you.

LONNIE: Stephanie is very musical, and she's used that talent to testify to God's work in her life in many venues. Let's listen now to her recording of "There's a Land That is Fairer Than Day."

"There's a Land That Is Fairer Than Day", Stephanie Dawn, from Music With Vision CD

CONNIE: That was Stephanie Dawn singing "There's A Land That is Fairer Than Day. If you'd like to know more about Stephanie's music and how to obtain it, be sure to stop by our web page at VOP.COM. You'll find a link there to "Music Heard on the Broadcast."
There are many other good things on our web page as well. One you'll find right at the bottom of the page is the Discovery Online Bible School. That's a series of basic Bible lessons that you can study over the Internet, or right at home.
If you'd like to take this basic Bible course in your home, you can call our toll-free number, or write to us and ask for the Discover Bible Guides. They're enjoyable, understandable, and a great introduction to the important teachings of the Bible.
The number to call to enroll is 1-800-872-0055, or you can write to us at Voice of Prophecy, Box 53055, Los Angeles, 90053. And we'll give that information again before the program is over, so you might want to have a pencil and paper ready.
Our topic today is "From Darkness to Light," and Ken Wade has a great little story on that topic--I think it even involves a little "wading," doesn't it Ken?

KEN: That's right, Connie. I guess I lived up to my family name that dark and stormy night in Wisconsin. I was a pastor there in those days, and every summer I would go up to the youth camp and teach a class or be the camp pastor for a week or so.
It was about 1977 I think, and my friend Les Merklin and I spent a week teaching wilderness survival to a group of teenagers. For the final test, the teens had to set up a tents and sleep in them overnight.

Because I had to leave early the next morning, I didn't camp out with them, but slept in the lodge. . . . Until about 1 AM. That's when the lightning, thunder, and cascades of rain woke me up. What a night, it was storming and blowing and raining like I'd never seen before. We heard later that it rained four inches that night. Well I got in my car, and dashed up to where the young people were camped out. I went back on a trail to try and find them, and discovered that most of the kids had already evacuated down to the lodge, but there was one girl who I'd had to carry in there earlier in the day, because she had sprained her ankle water skiing. Well the only thing to do was to load her up on my back, and carry her back out. I was following another group of people, and I'd given my good flashlight to the leader, when someone's glasses fell off. We searched around in the pouring rain looking for those glasses for several minutes, and when I looked up it was just the one girl and I, who were left there, and I had a flashlight that would hardly work. It would only shine part of the time. So off we went then through the woods, trying to find our way back to camp. The only time we had enough light to see, is when the lighting would flash, which was pretty often. Well finally we ended up down on the lakeshore, and before I even realized it I'd wondered out into the lake part way. But standing there on the lakeshore I could see lights around the edge. I could see some steady lights on one side, but over on one side I could see some lights that were moving. I knew there were people over there, and I was inclined to head that direction. I was a little turned around by then, and so I thought, I'll go over where those people are, but then I thought, you know, those steady lights, those must be at the camp. That's the direction we should head. So finally we decided we would head for those steady lights. You know, a little bit later I was glad I did, because I found out when I got back to camp, that those moving lights had been the other campers, who had gotten totally turned around, and were clear on the other side of the lake. We would have been lost for a long time that evening; if we would had tried to follow the moving lights. The steady lights. I've always thought of that as being like Jesus, a steady clear pure light to follow, instead of the things of the world.

CONNIE: Wow! I'll bet you were really glad to get back to a warm, dry, light place after that adventure, Ken.

KEN: I was, and I've always remembered that night, and the lesson about trusting in steady lights--not moving ones. Looking to Jesus--not the things of the world.

CONNIE: Jesus is the light of the world, as Lonnie shares with us in today's message, "From Darkness to Light."

From Darkness to Light

It was out of the darkness that Nicodemus came to Jesus. But the story doesn't really begin with these words, found in John 3:1 & 2.

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God."
No, the story really starts long before then.

And the story doesn't end in the third chapter of John, either. Because it's really not just the story of a nighttime encounter between two men. It goes much deeper than that. It's really a story about the whole world.
Follow me, and I'll show you how.

There's a certain irony set up at the end of this story. Listen to these words of Jesus, beginning with that favorite of all verses, John 3:16, and reading through verse 21:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the LIGHT has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
Often we quote verse 16 and leave it at that, but notice what follows hard on the heels of that great verse. Jesus assures us that He didn't come into the world to condemn us, but to save us.
Friend, that's good news, isn't it!

But then notice what else He says. Jesus says that there are some people who will be condemned. Why?
Listen very carefully: this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Yes, Jesus says, some people will be condemned, because they did not come to the light. Remember these words from John 1, verse 9: The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

That true light was Jesus--and everyone who would come to Him would be saved, but those who wouldn't come to Him would be lost.
Now, with that in mind, let's return to the story of Nicodemus. He's a man that you would think had plenty of light in his life. He's a Pharisee--a man who has devoted his life to the study of the Bible. He's a teacher in Israel--a person others looked to for enlightenment.
Now, picture him, on this dark night in Jerusalem. He's heard that something amazing has been happening up in Galilee. He's heard that there's a new teacher who does great works--miracles. And his curiosity has been aroused. He'd like to know more.
But he's also heard something else. This new teacher isn't very popular with the religious leaders. In fact, He's done some things that have made Him distinctly UN-popular.
Like cleansing the temple, for example. Going in with a whip made of cords and driving out the money changers. That didn't win Him any brownie points with the priests, scribes, or Pharisees.
But still Nicodemus was curious. He was an honest seeker after truth, and he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something special going on with Jesus.
It couldn't have been easy for a man of his stature to go to a humble Galilean peasant, and maybe that's why Nicodemus went at night--so no one would notice.
But it's that very fact that makes this story so great--so powerful. Because it's out of the darkness that Nicodemus comes seeking the Light of the World.
And the light that Jesus shares with him is some of the most precious teaching in all of the Bible. "Nicodemus," He says, "All the learning, all the good deeds, everything you've done up to this point in your life, isn't worth anything in the kingdom of God. All that really counts is that you start over again--be born again--have a spiritual rebirth in which you become a child of God.
Surrender your manliness. Surrender your great learning. Surrender your pride, and become as a tiny baby once again, drawing life from the Spirit of God. Be born again!

I can almost see the puzzled look on Nicodemus's face as he ponders those words--so different from what he expected to hear from Jesus. Can't you just picture the wheels spinning in his head as he tries to figure out what this peasant teacher is talking about?
Perhaps Nicodemus felt a bit chagrined--wondering what all of this new teaching meant. Wondering whether he could ever follow the teachings of Jesus. And that's when Jesus gave him a word of encouragement that would stay with him for the rest of his life. It's these words found in John 3:21: But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.

Do you hear what Jesus is saying to Nicodemus here? "Nicodemus, my friend, you have come out of the darkness. You have come to me, seeking light. You are doing what is right--the very fact that you have come to Me shows that you are doing the works of God."
Nicodemus went home that dark night encouraged that he had done the right thing in seeking out Jesus. He went home with new light in his life. But his story doesn't end there.
Later, when his fellow-Pharisees were trying to condemn Jesus, Nicodemus stood up and questioned why they wouldn't at least go and hear the words of Jesus before condemning Him--why they wouldn't go and check out the light before calling it darkness!
And then¼later¼after Jesus had died on the cross, Nicodemus came to Jesus once again, to help place His body in that dark, stone-cold tomb. That must have been the darkest day of Nicodemus's life.
But do you know what? The darkness didn't last for long. Because on the third day, Jesus rose from that tomb. Out of that deep, deep darkness came brightest, most wonderful light. And Nicodemus saw it and knew for sure that He had done the right thing that night when he came to the Light of the World.
What a story. What a powerful story! And it has a message for you and me. You know, you may feel like all is darkness in your world. You may even be one of those people Jesus spoke about who tries to hide your evil deeds under a cloak of darkness.
But you don't have to remain in the dark. Jesus invites you to come, like Nicodemus, out into the light. To be reborn by the power of His Spirit. To live your life in that light.

Come to Jesus, friend. He's not here to condemn you. He's here to bring light and life. Won't you come to Him today?

"O Glorious Love" begins with "In my darkness, Jesus found me¼"

The song really expresses the experience of Nicodemus, who came to Jesus in the darkness, but found the light of life. But I hope it's the experience of many listeners today--turning to Jesus and finding light for their lives in His life.
If you've been meaning to get to know Jesus better, our Discover Bible lessons can help you. They're available over the Internet, or you can take them through the mail by correspondence.

To enroll in the online Discover Bible Course, just go to our web page and in the upper left-hand corner click on "Free Bible Guides." That'll take you to a page where you can begin studying through these colorful, interesting lessons right at your own computer.
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The number to call to request your Discover Bible guides is 1-800-872-0055. Or visit our web page at VOP.COM and click on "Free Bible Guides."
When writing to us, our mailing address is Voice of Prophecy, Box 53055, Los Angeles, 90053 and we love to hear from listeners. Even if it's just to share a prayer request for us to mention during our worldwide prayer circle that meets every Thursday morning.
Please remember too, that Voice of Prophecy is a listener-supported ministry. We appreciate your prayers, and your gifts that help to assure that we keep the broadcast going out all over the world.

Thanks today to our studio engineer, Armando Cordero, and of course to our writer and producer, Ken Wade.
Be sure to join us again next week when our topic will be "Nehemiah, Right Place, Right Time, part 1."